Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm cooking and cleaning and generally getting my Martha on today. Busy trying to cross things off my seemingly endless to do list and really looking forward to the festive meal tomorrow.

I'll be posting a holiday round-up next week. Just popping in to wish all of you and yours a wonderful, joyous, delicious, Happy Thanksgiving! May your cups runneth over and your waistbands be forgiving!

Enjoy the holiday!

xoxoxoxoxo

Diva

Off to BlogHer Food '10

Seems I've been meeting myself coming and going lately what with all of this travel to and fro. I've had little time to cook, much less write about cooking. I hope to remedy that later this month ... but, for now, I'm off to BlogHer Food '10 in San Francisco.

I'm looking forward to catching up with old bloggy friends and meeting some new ones, and hoping to soak up some California sunshine as it been raining for days here on the East Coast.

We had a blast in New Orleans and I do, indeed, have a special NOLA themed cocktail to share with you for the return of Thirsty Thursdays ... next week. I promise. You'll want to stay tuned, because its a real treat.

In the meantime, are you going to BlogHer Food '10 this weekend? If so, shout it out in the comments so I'll know to look out for you.

Cheers and see you next week!

xoxoxo

Diva

I'm a Bad, Bad Diva

Much like this chandelier, I'm off-kilter. Tilted. A little bit skewed.

No, I'm not tipsy, drunk or stewed. In short, I'm on vacation. And I hope to have righted myself by the time you're reading this.

Will anyone be surprised if I admit that I haven't got a ready store of posts for you while I'm gone? No? Right! I'm a bad, bad Diva ... and its not because I don't care - I do. I really do.

It's mainly because in the weeks before I travel, I go crazy. And not the fun, hey-let's-do-shots-and-pretend-we're-25 kind of crazy either. I mean flat out, someone-call-the-authorities-lock-this-Diva-up-and-throw-away-the-key crazy.

Let's just say I have issues. I have issues with leaving my nest. Maybe its because I'm a Cancer, or because I'm a natural born worry-wort, but leaving home pushes every anxious button I've got ... to the extreme. The week before departure is a blur for me; a tortured haze of tears, Advil, and massive infusions of chocolate. That's just how I roll.

The only saving grace is that once I'm actually gone, I'm fine. I know I will relax and enjoy the holiday ... so long as I survive the 72 hours beforehand.

Suffice it to say that between crying jags, and what seems like 500 pounds of laundry, I haven't exactly found the time to write. Hang in there with me and I will return, sometime after Labor Day weekend.

Until then, be good - and if you can't be good ... call me, we'll go for drinks!

Cheers!

p.s. - Sadly, no, that's not my dining room. This picture was taken by mistake, in part of the building where I work. Kind of spooky, isn't it?

Happy Weekend

I suppose everyone is gearing up for big game this weekend ... oddly enough, I'm not. There's a lot going on Chez Diva and we really don't have a horse in this race ... so no big Super Bowl plans to report on my end.

If you are gearing up to watch and host, I offer a few quick and easy recipes from the archives that might suit your snacking needs:

Herbed White Bean Spread - somewhat akin to hummus and really good when paired with raw veggies, pita chips or any kind of cracker.

Zesty Old Bay Dip - serve with chips for an unexpected and thoroughly delicious alternative to onion dip.

Creamy Spinach and Feta Dip - (pictured above) my personal favorite! This dip is so good - and versatile too. Its perfect paired with raw veggies and any kind of chip ... and I've even used the leftovers for a quick and easy pasta sauce. Bonus, its healthy too ... but don't tell your guests, they won't even notice!

This afternoon, I'm off to attend the grand re-opening of our local Ronald McDonald House's kitchen. Former Top Chef contestants Dave Martin and Andrea Beaman will be on hand to help inaugurate the new, state-of-the-art kitchen and they'll be doing a little mini-challenge with the kids. Should be fun!

Needless to say I'll post a full report next week. And, who knows, I might actually cook something and post about it then too. Stranger things have happened ... stay tuned!

So what are you up to this weekend? Are you hosting for the big game or stuffing yourself with someone else's chow? Curious Diva wants to know.

Enjoy the weekend!

Off-line Update ...

Life in Divaland has been a crazy ordeal of computer hijinks this past week. Its a long story and I'll not bore you with it now. Suffice it to say that my beloved Toshiba laptop is dead ... and she was only 3 months shy of her 4th birthday. Le sigh. Does anyone ever get more than 4 years out of a computer? I never have.

Funeral arrangements have yet to be made, though I did observe a moment, er make that 3 days, of silence. Woe is me.

In short, I will not be back in business here on the blog until Monday, October 19th. That, too, is a long story and I will tell it to you then. I've missed you all and will look forward to catching up on the 19th.

Happy weekend and happy cooking!

~Diva

Holding Pattern

I'm having one of those weeks where I've been out of the house every night and the cooking, Chez Diva, has been a slap-dash affair. Sure, I've cooked and we've eaten; but mostly its been things like soup and quiche, about which I've already posted.

In addition, I'm preparing for a trip to San Francisco, to attend the BlogHer Food '09 Conference ... my first official food blogging conference. I'm so excited! There's laundry and packing to be done ... in addition to my typical "I hate to fly", pre-trip freak-outs. Ole.

Suffice it to say that we're in a holding pattern here and I expect to be back in action and back in the kitchen on Monday ... jet-lag notwithstanding. Hang tight and stay tuned.

If you're attending BlogHer Food this weekend, drop me a line in the comments so I'll know to lookout for you.

Have a beautiful weekend, dear readers, and I'll see you on Monday!

AFB

Greetings, Kittens! As it turns out, I've been Away From Blog for the latter part of this week. And, sadly, I left you all very thirsty this Thursday. So sorry about that!

We'll return to our regularly scheduled Thirsty Thursdays next week and I'll be back with a new post on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend!

Cheers!

Happy Monday!

Greetings, kittens! I'm here, but not here ... in fact, I'm at the beach. Having a little bit of a girls get-away. I'll be back with a special post on Wednesday, so stay tuned ... and have a terrific Monday!

Happy Friday!

Just a quick update as I need to bail again. The jackhammers are right outside my window today and the noise is deafening. Let's hope this is the last of the direct hits so that I can get back to writing and cooking next week!

Meanwhile, thanks so much for sticking with me ... I promise a return to deliciousness come Monday. Have a beautiful weekend!

Warning, Hard Hat Area ...

No, my blog is not under construction ... but the sidewalk in front of my building is. Jackhammers are involved and its not pretty. Its also noisy as hell. I can't even think straight, much less think creatively enough to write. Not even a little bit. As a result, I'm bailing, abandoning ship, in other words getting the hell out of here for the day - or days. Hopefully it won't last longer than the week and I'll have time to write a few posts in the evening. We'll see.

So, happy Monday ... I guess. Have a beautiful, quiet day!

Status Report: AFB

A quick update on my whereabouts for the beginning of this week. I'm sorry to say that the mother of a good friend has passed away. I will be out of town for the services today and tomorrow, back to the blog on Wednesday and will respond to all when I return.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, in advance!

Housekeeping: Weekend Edition

My stove is missing me again. With the hockey game on Tuesday and Book Club on Wednesday, I haven't had a chance to create much in the way of culinary greatness. I had intended to write about our Book Club meal today ... but as it turns out, there wasn't much to recommend. The discussion was great, but the food unremarkable. Also, the husband has surprised me by taking the afternoon off - a much needed break for him.

We're going to pump some dollars into the economy, check out the recently opened Museum of Arts & Design at Columbus Circle and possibly a new wine bar. I'll be toting my camera along and if there's anything to report or recommend, I'll post it next week.

I expect to be reunited with the stove over the weekend, so stay tuned for a new recipe on Monday.

So, what's on the agenda for your weekend? Curious Diva wants to know.

Bon appetit!

Happy New Year!

The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing and its supposed to be a very chilly night. Seems like we might actually be in for a real winter this year ... hmm, not sure how I feel about that. On the other hand, its nice excuse to don some cozy lounge wear and spend the day indoors. And I will be doing just that ... tomorrow.

Tonight we're off to a party and tomorrow I'll host one of my own. I had hoped to have more time to post this week, but that's not been the case. This is the last mad rush of the season and I'm up to my elbows in puff pastry dough ... purchased, not homemade ... shhs, don't tell! Got to take the shortcuts where you can sometimes. ~wink~

As promised, there will be a return to normalcy here next week. There's much to come in the way of new recipes, healthy tips and product reviews in the new year - so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I'd like to take the opportunity to wish each and every one of you a delicious, healthy and Happy New Year! Here's hoping 2009 will be filled with scrumptious delights and an abundance of good things.

Whatever you're doing to celebrate tonight - have fun, be safe and remember to keep it ... Divalicious!

See you next year ... Cheers!

Family Update ...

Greetings all! I want to thank each and every one of your for your kind expressions of good luck and best wishes for our dear Pixelgal ... she did great! The surgery went very well and she was 100% awake and looking fantastic when we saw her afterwards. Frankly, she looked better than me! I'll be keeping a close eye on Mama Diva tomorrow and if things continue as I expect them to, I should be back in the city on Wednesday ... and back to the diet on Thursday. Suffice it to say that surgical stress has taken its toll on us all . Just wait for Wednesday's post ... you'll see what I mean. Oy!

I'm hitting the hay early tonight, hoping to improve on those 3 hours of sleep I had last night. Yawn!

Thanks again, dear readers, you guys rock!